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Keys to History

It was June 1944 before the Allies were ready to attempt an invasion of Normandy. They needed to gain complete air and naval control of the English Channel and construct an artificial harbour. They also needed a large number of well-trained soldiers, a massive amount of military equipment, and the ships and landing craft to transport them. Beach defences, bridges and rail lines used by the Germans would have to be destroyed, and the whole operation had to be a surprise. The Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force helped protect a vast armada of 5,000 ships carrying the largest invasion force in history.

What

After the German conquest of France, the Allies realized that they would have to attack Germany to win the war. This cartoon depicts Allied production as a huge wave rolling in to "surprise" Hitler on the Normandy coast of France.

Where

The attack began in Normandy. German defences were weaker there because the area lacked a good harbour.

When

The Allied invasion of Normandy took place on June 6, 1944.

Who

The Americans landed on the western part of the Normandy coast and the British and Canadians on the eastern part. A total of 130,000 men, including 15,000 Canadians, took part in the operation.